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Benedicte Lefeuvre
Benedicte Lefeuvre (18th September 1748 - 25th February 1785) is a member of the Grandelumierian Revolution. He was declared Prime Minister of the Committee of State by a vote from senior officials within the revolution. He would later declare himself First Consul of the State, first of three. He was responsible for the execution of the Louis XII. Reign of Louis XI Birth and upbringing Benedicte was born in a small rural village in the County of Eu near the western coast. His father, Francois Marie Isidore Lefeuvre was a serf and worked the land for the Comte d'Eu, and had married Félicité Dupont who was the daughter of a local innkeeper. He was the eighth of fifteen child many of which died. Due to the family having little wealth, Benedicte was moved from his family at the age of three. It was a bourgeois maternal uncle, who had made a start for himself after moving to Amiens to work as a clerk deputy for the city administration, which would take him in. Here he would eventually go to study at Lycee du Sacre-Coeur. Education By the age of 17, he left for the University of Reims to study law. He was praised as a studious and ardent pupil of the university and excelled in studies. However, he was notedly shy and quiet, often a noted outcast which made him susceptible as a target for other students. It was during this time he met Jacqueline-Charlotte, the daughter of one of his professors who was two years his junior. He would arrange to marry her at the Cathedral of Reims by 1767 aged 19. The following year, his father had died. His father had been flogged, not originally with the intention to die but had died during the administration of punishment. He had been accused of theft from the Comte d'Eu's cousin and was harshly dealt with. This sparked in him a severe disliking towards the Comte and nobility by association. He would complete his studies in 1769 and with the help of his uncle left for the city of Paris. Life in Paris In Paris, he made his living as a Clerk of the Chamber of Commerce dealing with commercial law. He would have his first child by his wife, a girl who would die days later of convulsions. They would continue to attempt to conceive but resulted in a series of miscarriages. Eventually, the couple agreed to cease marital relations but remained loving. It was in Paris he met with a group of moderates who shared a similar distaste for the nobility. This group were not opposed to the entire nobility but sought extra powers for city administrative chambers. From here, Benedicte was inspired to seek justice in, what he viewed, the corrupted courts. Many courts, especially those of major cities, employed minor nobles as judges (Cities such as Dijon and Paris employed even high nobles). Many serfs were given far harsher punishments for minor crimes, and Benedicte was disgusted by the Ecclesiastic courts. He was himself sympathetic to the Protestants and wished to ensure freedom for all Christians. He would eventually find himself employed as in the Palais de Justice in Paris as a clerk, and later judge of the lower courts. He was known to be a harsh judge towards any opponent. His old tutor from university once wrote, "I believe he wields his power as if punishing those who so tormented his youth in some form of divine retribution to restore past injustice." By 1777 he would move for Dijon after an opening in the Dijon Palais de Justice Imperiale. This was the most senior court in the Empire. Move for Dijon His hopes for a position in the high court in Dijon were dashed when, as a result of his low birth status, the Marquis de Narbonne was instead selected. He was nevertheless employed in the lower courts. From here he began to engage with more radical groups, further pushed by the grain crisis of 1778 in which bakeries lay near bare. His wife at this point herself was employed as a ladies maid to the Madame de Boulainvilliers who resided in the city. The couple would employ a small staff of 3, a cook, maid and valet. From their staff they heard of the ills which haunted the citizens, which further vexed Benedicte. In 1780, the death of Louis XI would be announced, which grieved Benedicte. His issue until now had been purely with the nobility, and he with thousands of others lined the streets of Dijon for the funeral. Reign of Louis XII Peasants March of 1781 Before the march, Benedicte continued to live quietly, administering justice and spending evenings with his wife reading. He, like all of Dijon, was aware of the mobs regularly gathering weekly but thought little of it at the time. He had no interest in the direct destruction of the nobility or Crown. Once the Imperial Court was forced to Dijon it was a different matter. When citizens who had taken part in the march were put on trial, Benedicte was noticeably lenient towards them, sympathising their cause. Being one of the few judges to share their background, he became a face of the growing revolution as a man of position. He would make a speech shortly before the attack on the Palais-des-Ducs-de-Bourgogne, imploring the people to take liberty by force. He would urge them not to harm the sovereign, but these cries fell on deaf ears. The Imperials were forced to flee to La Bastion, before returning. The citizens would be fired upon lead by Cardinal Provence. This sparked outrage and Benedicte's speeches became increasingly hateful, attacking the nobility and crown. He'd gather large crowds in squares who would rally, and attack the palace once more, forcing them to le Tour de Temple. From there, Benedicte and several other around him, provincial judges, tutors and lower clergymen would form the new revolutionary committee of State. Benedicte was elected Prime Minister of the Committee and Inquisitor-Procurator, the head of the judiciary. Visiting the Emperors cell, he would order the handover of power to the committee. Prime Minister of Grandelumiere With his new power, he began the order of trials in the Revolutionary tribunal, the highest court. It was here hundreds of nobles would be tried, as well as citizens and staff. He would personally trial the Emperor and several ex-government officials. Everyone he tried he found guilty. His decision was made on the basis that despite the lies made to execute them, the means justified the ends. Only in their death could true justice for the citizens prevail. It was, however, this behaviour which had him called out as a tyrant. Being a naturally paranoid person, he would begin executing all those who defied him. In February, the Emperor Louis XII would be executed in the Place de Dijon before a crowd of thousands. He would personally see to his execution and raise the head of the Emperor. Ordering prisoners to be moved to la Bastion, he'd have the head mounted on a pike and paraded to le Tour de Temple. Co-Regency First Consul of the Consulate Immediately following the death of the Emperor, he announced himself First Consul of three, the other two being Henri Maximilien de Croy as Second Consul charged with defence, and Georges Auguste Brissot de Warville, Third Consul charged with finance. Benedicte himself was charged with justice and took to the position with haste. Immediately nobles and citizens alike who would denounce him or the government were to be executed as Enemies of the Revolution, the highest crime there was. The threat of invasion from the Coalition of the Holy Roman Empire, Britain, Spain, Prussia and Portugal caused the death rate to increase as a paranoid Benedicte attempted to remove any possible inheritance to the throne. His wife, though against much of this, remained quiet as her and her husband became increasingly wealthy. She was moved to the Chateau de la Muyre after the execution of its owner, Fontaine Honore, Prince and Duc de Parme. Following the success of the revolutionary army in Munich, Cologne and Tuscany, the territory of the Empire saw a large increase in size. This provided extra taxable citizenry. While this occurred, the Pope, after continued abuse of his guards and down talking to the Consul, was executed for his difficulty. Benedicte was quick to note the lack of humility from a Catholic Pope. He was excommunicated shortly before the death of the Pope. With this, he had no reason to maintain the catholic faith and converted the Churches into Temples of Liberty. He also took great pleasure in the knowledge that the Catholic papal court had fled back to Rome, abandoning the Empire. Downfall He would arrange the mass execution of nobility at the Dijon Temple of Liberty. It was here that, while arranging the executions the temple was stormed by counter-revolutionaries and the British armed forces. Madame, sister of the Emperor Louis XII, shot him in the leg, causing him to stop and get arrested as the revolutionaries were massacred. He was imprisoned at la Bastion until his trial. Once found guilty, he would be quickly rushed away the following day to his place of execution, pardoning all those who had ordered his death before being cut short, and forced to kneel without prayer. His final words were, "Excuse-moi Monsieur?! Did not even I provide better treatment?" before his beheading. Cardinal Charles Dieudonne would note how pitiable it was that the Consuls prediction was proven correct, as the Empire in its move had shown itself publicly more brutal than he. Issue With his wife, Benedicte had 2 delivered children and numerous pregnancies to his wife: * Marie-Jacqueline Lefeuvre (1769-1769 named posthumously) * Miscarried daughter * Miscarried son * Stillborn daughter * Miscarried son * Miscarried son * Jean-Benedicte Lefeuvre (1775-1775 named posthumously) * Miscarried daughter * Miscarried son * Stillborn son Occupations * Clerk of Paris Chamber of Commerce * Clerk of the Paris High Court * Judge of the Paris Lower Court * Judge of the Dijon Lower Court * Interim Prime Minister of the Committee of State * Prime Minister of Grandelumiere * First Consul of Grandelumiere Category:Grandelumierian Citizens Category:1700s births